2,500-Year-Old Slab Offers Window into Ancient Etruscan Faith

2,500-Year-Old Slab Offers Window into Ancient Etruscan Faith

Article excerpt

A large sandstone slab dating back to the 6th century BC could
hold clues about the religious beliefs of ancient Etruscans, if only
archaeologists could read it.

Uncovered from an Etruscan temple in Tuscany after being buried
for over 2,500 years, researchers believe the stone holds an
important religious text. The 500-pound stele (the term that
archaeologists use for such slabs) measures four feet tall by two
feet wide and holds roughly 70 letters and punctuation marks.

Because of the rarity of Etruscan artifacts, not much is known
about the Etruscan language. The little knowledge on the ancient
language is limited to specific language written on funerary
objects, which make up the majority of Etruscan discoveries. In
translating the large stele, archaeologists will establish a broader
understanding of Etruscan letters and words.

"We hope to make inroads into the Etruscan language,"
archaeologist Gregory Warden, co-director and principle investigator
of the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project and professor at
Franklin University Switzerland, said in a press release. "Long
inscriptions are rare, especially one this long, so there will be
new words that we have never seen before, since it is not a funerary
text."

Archaeologists also say the artifact's language could tell them
more about Etruscan religion, and in turn more about the Romans, who
were influenced by the Etruscan way of life.

"This is probably going to be a sacred text, and will be
remarkable for telling us about the early belief system of a lost
culture that is fundamental to western traditions," added Dr.
Warden.

"Inscriptions of more than a few words, on permanent materials,
are rare for the Etruscans, who tended to use perishable media like
linen cloth books or wax tablets," added Etruscan scholar Jean
MacIntosh Turfa with the University of Pennsylvania Museum,
Philadelphia. "This stone stele is evidence of a permanent religious
cult with monumental dedications, at least as early as the Late
Archaic Period, from about 525 to 480 BCE. …

Article details

Related books and articles

Books

Journals

Magazines

Newspapers

Encyclopedia

The Warden
By Anthony Trollope; Edward ArdizzoneOxford University Press, 1998

PSPRIMARY SOURCE

A primary source is a work that is being studied, or that provides first-hand or direct evidence on a topic. Common types of primary sources include works of literature, historical documents, original philosophical writings, and religious texts.

A primary source is a work that is being studied, or that provides first-hand or direct evidence on a topic. Common types of primary sources include works of literature, historical documents, original philosophical writings, and religious texts.